Pediatric TracheostomiesFor parents and caregivers of children with tracheostomies. Please limit discussion to seeking and sharing of information pertaining to tracheostomy care, medical issues, special needs, disabilities, networking and moral support.

Noah just got his first 2 teeth so I'm wondering about oral care for kids with oral aversions. He doesn't eat anything by mouth but there are still germs in there, right? When my older son got his first tooth, we immediately started brushing his teeth. But for Noah I just don't know what to do for him that he would tolerate. He still gags on stuff about 2-3 times during each speech therapy session which is remarkably better than before but still makes me nervous for cleaning his mouth/ teeth.

Personally I never used them but our dentist recommended Spiffies. If you can manage to get a finger in his mouth. I guess the benefit to the wipe is that it protects against tooth decay without the foaming of toothpaste. Maybe the fact that they are flavored helps. Personally I just brushed Ainsley's teeth with a wet toothbrush no paste, and she's never had a cavity. Maybe we just got lucky. The other trick the dentist gave is to sit criss cross on the floor and have your child lay with their head in your lap as if he were at the dentist. It really does make it easier to do the brushing, but you still might need a second person to hold the child down if they are really adverse. Also in the early years I always had the suction machine next to me to suction out secretions in the event that she started gagging. Usually it was her own slimy secretions that would lead to retching. The other thing is Ainsley usually prefers to do it herself. You might try giving him one of those baby toothbrushes that is a loop and see if he'll chew on it enough to brush the teeth himself, like this or one made of silicone. Good luck.

Noah doesn't ambulate well enough on his own to put something in his mouth and chew. Good idea for later on if he starts exploring his mouth with his hands. Those Spiffies wipes look like really great though. I think a tooth brush would be too much input for him. I've tried a few times when he first came home to clean his mouth with those little infant finger toothbrushes and he absolutely hates it. I don't want to make him more adverse to things going in his mouth after all of the progress we've made. We wipe his mouth a lot during the day so the wipes might feel a little more natural to him. Thanks so much!

__________________Maren- mom to Owen born 7/17/10: Born with Pierre Robin Sequence, 5-Q Deletion, significant hypotonia, trach 7/26/10, g-tube and nissen fondo 8/6 (fondo failed),vent patient. Making improvements daily! Also mom to Emma- big sister to Owen. Great helper and adores her little brother! Number 3 arrived and is a great addition. Will soon be big sister to Owen but that is ok!

We started with the foam things that the above poster talked about. He now loves those, especially when teething bad because we put Humphrey's on it. He transitioned from that to a toothbrush with no real issues. My LO doesn't eat by mouth, but ST worked with her finger to do oral motor exercises so he never developed the not wanting anything in his mouth. Some things he does not like other things he is fine with.

__________________Mom to twins born on 12/15/2010 at 30 wks. Abby is a perfectly healthy stubborn little girl Johnny has left ventricular hypertrophy heart condition, trach, g-tube, and severe developmental delays probably due to suspected stroke during g-tube surgery.

I've seen those foam things in the hospital but wasn't sure I could get them anywhere else. Might be useful for transitioning to a toothbrush like you mentioned. My mom went ahead and ordered the Spiffies teeth wipes so we will start with those and see how he likes them. Thanks!

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